1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a follow running control system for performing follow running control in which a target vehicle followed by the present vehicle is determined.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-042928, filed Feb. 19, 2004, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known follow running control system, in order to save labor for the driver's operation, a vehicular gap sensor for determining the distance between the present vehicle and the vehicle in front (i.e., the preceding vehicle) is provided for controlling the running state of the present vehicle so as to secure a specific gap between vehicles, thereby performing starting, stopping, and running operations while following the preceding vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 10-147160). Such a follow running control system may have a communication device for communicating the advance of the preceding vehicle while the present vehicle waits for a signal at the intersection or stops on a jammed road, and for urging starting of the present vehicle. In this case, even when the road is crowded by a number of vehicles, a burden on the driver for paying attention to the forward direction is reduced, and the driver is relieved of complicated operations such as repeatedly starting and stopping again and again.
In conventional systems, driving operation by the driver of the present vehicle for advancing the vehicle is not effective until detecting the advance of the preceding vehicle. Therefore, a difference in driving sensation is produced between running by the driver's manual operation and follow running by the follow running control system, so that the driver may feel uncomfortable.
More specifically, in detection of the advance of the preceding vehicle, the distance to the preceding vehicle or a change in relative speed with respect to the preceding vehicle is determined by referring to signals of a radar or the like for detecting the preceding vehicle; thus, starting of the preceding vehicle cannot be detected until the preceding vehicle is actually started. However, the driver can recognize situations in which the signal in front is changed from red to green and thus vehicles can start or that another vehicle in front of the preceding vehicle has been started. Therefore, the driver can judge that the preceding vehicle is just going to start and can start to release the brake pedal. Accordingly, a difference in driving sensation is produced between running by the driver's natural operation and follow running by the follow running control system.